How often do you get to turn a parking lot into a sacred space? How often do you get a chance to influence the course that the United church is taking? How often do you get to be involved in something so new and different that it can change the way that youth and young adults influence not only the church, but the entire world? I had the opportunity to do all three in the space of a single night this past summer at General Council.
It was late Wednesday afternoon and most of us were returning from local outings in the Thunder Bay area. As I returned to the dorms where we were staying, I was pulled into a room with the words “Matt we need your opinions and advice.” I joined three other people, Adam, Jesse, and Thom, who pulled me in front of a computer and showed me a proposal they had written for a national youth and young adult leader.
I was stunned. I’d never even thought that something like this could happen. I mean, I’d wanted it to happen, but I never thought it would. I grew up in the United Church, and I love it dearly, but it breaks my heart to see how many people simply disappear from the United Church after the age of 14 or 15 because we’re not meeting the need for passions that they know God should be about. I was one of those people. I left the United Church and saw what it was like elsewhere, but God called me back to minister to my friends in the United Church.
Over the next few hours we slowly tested the waters out, seeing what people thought about the proposal. At the time, the position was labelled a “Youth Moderator,” But in the scope was more of a spiritual leader. Eventually, we had filled in most of the rest of the group, and after supper, a group of 20 of us sat down in a room to talk about the proposal and what we liked and didn’t like. Little did we knew, that conversation would last until about 2am the next morning.
With the capable help of some Conference staff from London and Bay of Quinte conferences, we all got our ideas out. We went around the room and heard from each of the people there. One of the really cool things about listening, is that you don't feel the need to talk much. Each of us spoke, and each of us really listened to one another.
We heard what it was like to be the only person under 50 in a pastoral charge, or in a 50km radius for that matter. We heard what it was like to be at a University and not know that there was a United Church campus ministry there. We heard what it was like to be part of a vibrant and lively conference where the number of events you could go to was only limited by the distance you wanted to drive. We heard youth and young adults from all across the country tell us their experience, and what they desired for themselves and for the rest of the people in their area.
Finally, shortly after 2 am, when most people went to bed, a small group of us took what we had heard and went to Tim Hortons, where we continued the work for another three hours. We took what we had heard, and out of that came the carefully crafted proposal that you see now. Each
of those items that you see on the page come from the deepest part of someone's heart. They truly desire to know those things and see them happen in their home communities and churches.
At 5:30am...as we finally decided that we had what we wanted, a couple of us went to find someplace we could print what we'd written (we never did find anyplace...apparently Thunder Bay has no 24-hr printing and photocopying place), but before we left to do that we did something I'd never done before. As we left Tim Hortons, we stopped in the parking lot, and we prayed. We thanked God for the energy that we'd been given, we asked for energy to get us through the coming day, and we praised and gave thanks for the ideas and the passion that had been so obvious during our whole conversation throughout the past 18 hours.
What we've written is merely our innermost desires and longings for the church. Some people who have seen it don't share these same desires, but we think that most people do. We want to hear what you think. Our proposal wasn't dealt with at General Council, but the Executive of the General Council dealt with it at their meeting in November. It is going on for more work, and will be coming back to the Executive in May. We want your input, your comments, your criticisms. Please e-mail us at ucyayanetwork@gmail.com and let us know what you think!
-Matt Woodall
Awakening A Sleeping Giant:
A Tranformative Vision for Youth and Young Adult Ministries in the Third Generation of the United Church of Canada
“We have the resources [in the United Church of Canada] that we need.” – Right Rev. Dr. Peter Short, Aug. 13, 2006 (Moderator, 39th General Council)
Whereas we have been called in this place and in this time to discern the future direction of the UnitedChurch of Canada for its third generation; and
Whereas the youth and young adult movement in the United Church of Canada is growing in community and a group of commissioners to the 39th General Council 2006, 30 years and under, have engaged in meaningful dialogue over the life of this meeting; and
Whereas we believe the youth and young adult movement in the United Church of Canada would benefit from a spiritual leader at the national level; and
Whereas we feel called as members of the Church to reach out to our youth and young adults whether they be pursuing a secondary or post-secondary education, starting a career, beginning a family, or working in another vocation; and
Whereas the United Church of Canada has an opportunity to be a leader in youth and young adult ministry; and
Whereas the United Church of Canada recognizes that God’s call is not dependent upon age and also recognizes the call of leadership in youth and young adults and further trusts the call to leadership in these people; and
Whereas youth and young adults are engaged in both paid and unpaid ministry at all levels of the United Church of Canada; and
Whereas approximately 20% of the people within the bounds of this court are 14 – 30 years of age and that this presence should be taken as a sign of commitment to the United Church of Canada and to this work; and
Whereas we recognize that good and faithful work is being done within and without of the United Church of Canada and we strive to work with our partners in a positive manner and there is a desire amongst the youth and young adult leaders within the church to connect, build, and sustain relationships with others across the country.
Therefore, it is proposed that the 39th General Council 2006:
Set aside resources for the creation and maintenance of a national youth and young adult network.
Set aside resources to fund youth and young adult ministries at the pastoral charge and presbytery levels over the next three years and investigate the creation of a national retreat for youth and young adults engaged in the Church to be held on the year in which neither KAIROS nor General Council are held.
Investigate the possibility of creating an elected position for a spiritual leader for youth and young adults and that the results of this investigation be reported to the General Council Executive no later than the fall executive meeting of 2008, so that the first election may take place at the 40th General Council 2009.
-R. McNally/M. Sawyer
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